1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to the field of written communications, in general, and to remailable envelopes, in particular.
2. Description of the Prior Art
It is common practice for businesses which solicit mail responses from various addressees to forward material to the addressees in envelopes which contain business material and preaddressed return envelopes. The practice of forwarding return envelopes is also prevalent when bills, such as from credit card or gasoline companies, are sent to customers. The preaddressed return envelope is used by each original addressee to mail the requested response to the original sender. Oftentimes the business mailings are high volume ones and are prepared by high speed automatic techniques which may include envelope blank cutting, printing, folding and sealing, along with automatic insertion steps and automatic addressing operations. Once received by the original addressees, the outer envelopes are opened, either manually or automatically, to expose the contents.
To obviate the need for a separate forwarding envelope and a separate return envelope for each original addressee, it is known to provide remailable or "two-way" envelopes which serve both the forwarding and the return functions. One such known two-way envelope utilizes a resealing flap carried by the back panel of the forwarding envelope, to reseal the envelope for return mailing. Many other designs are known in the patent literature. However, such prior art envelopes have encountered a variety of significant difficulties in manufacture and use. By way of example, many of the prior art envelopes cannot successfully be manufactured on modern, high speed automatic "web-type" envelope making machines, and many do not lend themselves to having enclosures inserted by automatic insertion machines prior to original mailing. Additionally, known two-way envelopes oftentimes require tedious manipulation by the original addressee to prepare the envelope and insertion for remailing thus causing misuse or disuse of the return envelope and/or customer dissatisfaction. Furthermore, the desired remailability of prior art envelopes can be destroyed by the use of automatic or manual envelope openers which may sever the resealing flap from the body of the envelope. There are also two-way envelopes known to the prior art which are designed in such a manner that enclosures cannot be sent in one or both directions of envelope travel.
Examples of prior art envelopes are described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 1,953,192; 2,931,559; 3,874,582; 3,982,689; and 4,089,418. U.S. Pat. No. 1,953,192 discloses a two-way envelope folded from a single asymmetrical envelope blank which has been cut from a sheet of paper. Upon receipt by the original addressee, the envelope is opened by removing a tear strip along the top edge of the envelope, thus reducing the size of the original envelope to a lesser size remailing envelope. For remailing, the original addressee must remove the enclosure from the envelope, reduce the enclosure in size to fit the smaller remailing envelope, properly place the adjusted enclosure in the remailing envelope, and then seal the remailing envelope by folding the resealing flap. A major difficulty with this design is that the asymmetrical blank cannot be processed on conventional "web-type" envelope making machines. Additionally, the two-way mailer requires complicated modifications of the enclosure for return mailing so that the enclosure fits within the smaller remailing envelope, and so that the return address borne by the enclosure is visible through the window. These procedures are complex, detracting from the usefulness and acceptability of the two-way envelope design.
U.S. Pat. No. 2,931,559 describes a remailable billing envelope with a resealing flap on which is printed the return address. The resealing flap is connected to the back panel along a common back top edge of the envelope. For original mailing, the resealing flap is folded at the back top edge and stuffed within the envelope pocket. The envelope is thus mailed in its unsealed condition, providing no privacy or capability for enclosure information or materials. Additionally, upon receipt by the addressee, the resealing flap is vulnerable to being cut during opening of the original envelope. The potential uses of such an envelope are thus limited.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,874,582 provides a two-way envelope comprising a front panel with a window, a bottom flap, two opposed side flaps with detachable upper portions and a detachable top flap. Upon receiving the envelope, the original addressee removes the three detachable portions from the envelope to form a smaller sized return envelope with a newly formed top resealing flap. For return mailing, the original addressee inserts a response into the envelope pocket, inserts an enclosure containing the return address so that the return address can be seen through the window, and then folds and seals the newly formed top resealing flap to the back panel. Again, the complexity of transforming the original envelope into a usable return envelope detracts from the usefulness and acceptability of the two-way envelope design.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,982,689 illustrates another two-way mailing envelope, including a window and an enclosure to be transmitted therein. The envelope is usable for return mailing by tearing a top flap from the front panel of the envelope and thereby exposing a resealing flap which, being the upper portion of the back panel, is then folded toward and attached to the front panel. Thus, the remailing envelope is smaller than the original envelope by the length of the top flap which is removed by the original addressee for envelope opening. Thus the envelope also requires an enclosure with two address areas for exposure through the window. Additionally, opening the envelope without removing the tearable top flap will not properly expose the resealing flap for folding and securing to the front panel for remailing. The foregoing complexities of operation, including modification of the enclosure bearing the return address, detract from the usefulness and acceptability of this envelope design.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,089,418 describes a returnable envelope consisting of a blank having a main panel and flaps foldable from each edge. For original mailing, the envelope is formed by inwardly folding two opposed side flaps, by upwardly folding a bottom flap, and by downwardly folding a top panel. The top panel is then temporarily adhered to the outer surface of the bottom flap. For return mailing, the original addressee detaches the top panel from the back of the envelope without tearing the envelope, unfolds the envelope completely and then refolds the envelope into a different configuration for return mailing. Additionally, opening the envelope can sever the top panel from the main panel and destroy the envelope's designed remailability. These disadvantages, again, detract from usefulness and acceptability.
From the foregoing considerations, it should be apparent that there is a great need for a remailable envelope which may be manufactured, stuffed and mailed by high speed automatic machines, which can be opened by automatic or manual envelope opening devices without destroying remailability, and which is simple in use for original mailing and remailing. The subject invention is directed to just such an envelope.